All My Days

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Our nanny couldn't make it to the house two weeks ago on account of the snow and the icy roads, so Josh and I split our work day and took turns caring for Meyer. It was also our first opportunity this year to take Meyer out in the snow to play. He was not a fan. Not a single smile. And if the snow touched his boots or his hands, he began to scream "no!!" while pointing at it angrily. Good times.

And he was much happier in his underclothes eating an apple that he stole from his mama.

This is my first VoxBox from Influenster to review. I was really surprised to see so many full size goodies inside, plus coupons for several of the products. Some of the products are new house favorites, while others I'm likely to skip over in the future. Here's some details on what I received:

Beanitos Chips
These are white bean based chips. Gluten free, non-GMO, high protein and high fiber, all natural, preservative free. Oh and high in flavor! The Nacho Cheese chips have a mild Doritos flavor, and a mild bean flavor. I also tried the Restaurant Style White Bean chips with Sea Salt. They were very good! The definitely didn't taste like beans! The whole family enjoyed these. We tend to buy more natural types of chips, and these have moved to the top of the list.

Covergirl Ultrasmooth Foundation
I received a full size tube of this product. The purpose of the product is to provide even tone and texture, smooth-looking skin, and great coverage for blemishes and "even fine facial hair." I personally didn't see the point in that for myself, but perhaps that is something that others struggle with and it's a desirable quality for a foundation. The product is packaged with a silicone applicator with instructions to apply the foundation in the direction of hair growth for best coverage. I tried out the applicator, but it honestly felt like a waste of time, so I ditched it. I did like this product. I don't normally care for the scent of many popular brands of foundation, but this one was actually pleasant. The make-up went on smoothly, provided good coverage, and never felt thick or heavy. This foundation actually includes an Olay serum which evidently aids in smooth coverage. I would actually buy this product, though I would never have tried it on my own.

L'OCCITANE Shea Butter Light Comforting Cream
I really enjoyed being able to test this product. It's so much more than your regular lotion. I had no idea what I was missing out on having never tried a cream with shea butter! It's thick and really left my face feeling soft and hydrated. This winter weather over the past few weeks has made for some irritated and dry skin, and thankfully this cream was the answer! Evidently L'OCCITANE is committed to a fair trade partnership with women who make shea butter in West Africa, which is even more of a reason to buy this product. It is a little more expensive than I would typically purchase ($5 for a tiny 8 ml container), but worth it if you only used it for skin that's been under harsh conditions.

Orgain Certified Organic Nutritional Shakes
My VoxBox contained a voucher for a free Orgain shake. I checked Orgain's website and found out that it was only available at a few different area health food stores. So I stopped by Mama Jean's and picked out a chocolate protein shake to try. I really wanted to like this product. But I did not. I love chocolate. But this just didn't taste like chocolate to me, possibly because it's a non-dairy, non-soy product. Perhaps protein shakes just aren't my thing. There's a great story behind this brand if you care to check it out here.

Montagne Jeunesse Face Masques
I haven't done a face mask in a LONG time! I was pretty excited about testing and reviewing this one until I realized that the one I received was a peel off mask. EEEk. Peel-off in this arid winter climate=skin ripping. Right? Surprisingly, no! I tried the Black Seaweed Peel Off masque, described as a detox and deep cleaning masque. It took a long, long time to dry, and it was very sticky, but peeled off very easily without pain. Score. And it did leave my skin feeling very clean and soft, and not dry in the least. I plan to check out the other available masks by Montagne Jeunesse.

Skinnygirl Tasty Nutrition Bars
Yum. Seriously good. And very reasonable priced. My VoxBox contained Skinnygirl's Dark Chocolate Pretzel bar which has 160 calories, 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber with no artificial sweeteners or flavors and lots of organic and natural ingredients. It didn't taste nutritious in the least. :-)

Listerine PocketPaks
I had no idea these were still a thing! The breath strips dissolve immediately and freshen your breath in an instant. I always enjoy these.

DenTek Comfort Clean Floss Picks and Fun Flossers
It's honestly never crossed my mind to purchase any of these flosser picks when I've seen them at the store. Our dentist typically gives us plenty of samples to last until our next check-up. But I can understand why people would pay the extra money for these instead of regular dental floss. They are simple to use, and you could easily tuck one of the small zip-close packs into your purse or briefcase for use while on the go. That's much more sanitary and a whole lot less embarrassing than trying to floss in public or, heaven forbid, hold onto that spinach bit for later. The only thing I didn't like about these is that you really can't get around the tooth as well as you can with regular dental floss.

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

This month, I received complimentary samples of Beanitos White Bean Chips for review from Influenster. Meyer and I tried them out this evening. I was really surprised by how good they were. We look for healthier snack options, especially now that we have a toddler. Other bean-based chips and crackers that we've tried are typically very bean-y tasting. Which is fine! We expect them to taste a little bit like their ingredients. But Beanitos Chips are surprisingly less beany. The nacho cheese flavor tasted alot like Doritos - same kind of crunch, but less mess, and a flavor that was slightly less intense. We also tried the Beanitos with sea salt. Not. Even. A. Little. Beany. Very tasty! They are very similar in taste to a white corn tortilla chip. Nice and light and flavorful. We will definitely look for these in the store. They really are #allthatinabagofchips . Thanks Influenster! Please enjoy this video of our first taste!

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.